What does shooing mean?
Shooing is the act of making a person or animal leave, usually by saying “shoo!” in a firm voice or making a dismissive gesture. Its best-known use is with birds: someone may shoo pigeons away from a park bench, a statue, or a shopfront. The word can also describe dismissing a person, often with an implication that their presence is unwelcome or that they are interrupting. In that sense, shooing may sound impatient, informal, or slightly humorous. It is normally transitive, as in “she shooed the dog away,” although it can also occur without an object when the context makes the person or animal being dismissed clear. Overall, shooing conveys a brief, informal command to leave rather than a serious attempt to remove someone.
verbShooing means making a person or animal go away, usually with a sharp word or gesture such as saying “shoo!”
- To drive a person or animal away by saying “shoo!” or making a dismissive gesture.
"She shooed the pigeons away from the entrance."
"The farmer shooed the hens back into the barn."
"Security shooed an unauthorized visitor away from the entrance."
One sharp word—“shoo!”—can send a flock of birds into the air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shooing come from?
The base verb shoo developed from an English interjection used to drive birds or other animals away. The exact origin of the interjection is uncertain, and proposed links to imitative bird calls or other languages are not securely established. The present-participle form shooing has followed the regular English pattern of adding -ing to the verb.
How shooing is actually used
Shooing is everyday and often mildly humorous or impatient in tone. It is commonly used of birds and other animals, but can also describe sending a person away, sometimes rather curtly.